Azaria case: plea to papers

Press, 4 February 1982, Page 6

Azaria case: plea to papers

NZPA Darwin The Chief Minister of the Northern Territory (Mr Paul Everingham) appealed yesterday to the Australian media to voluntarily curb any further pre-trial publicity on the Azaria Chamberlain case.

Mr Everingham, who is also Attorney-General, said that in the interests of justice and fair play, publicity on the incident at Ayers Rock on August 17, 1980, subsequent police investigations and the two coroner’s inquiries should cease pending the trial, which has been set down for April 19. Mrs Lindy Chamberlain has been committed for trial on a charge of having murdered the nine-week-old Azaria, and Mr Chamberlain on a charge of having been an accessory after the fact. "Front-page stories in today’s national press have speculated on the difficulties of obtaining a fair trial for Mr and Mrs Chamberlain because of the constant publicity which has surrounded this case for the past 18 months,” Mr Everingham said.

“With two protracted coroner’s inquiries behind us, the press have had ample opportunity to make the public aware of the proceedings in open court so far. “The press will have a similar opportunity to fully inform the public on the proceedings at the trial. “I appeal to the news editor and owners -of the Australian media to now allow speculation to die away on this case by voluntary curbs on further comments and speculation. “The media has responsibilities as well as rights in a

parliamentary democracy such as ours, and now is the time for them to demonstrate that responsibility.” The head of the Institute of Criminology at the University of Sydney’s law school, Professor Roulston, was quoted yesterday as saying the trial in April could be influenced by the publicity given to the two inquests held in Alice Springs. “To select an impartial jury is going to be extremely difficult,” Professor Roulston said, according to a frontpage report in the “Australian" newspaper. “If the persons called for jury service were honest, I would almost hope they would say, ‘Yes, I have already formed an opinion’,” he said.

Professor Roulston, a barrister, said he believed newspapers, radio, and television should be stopped from reporting coronial inquiries and committal hearings.. “I am not advocating a closed court, but a prohibition upon any media publication,” he said.

“I think it is important that there be some public scrutiny of judicial proceedings, but this scrutiny would be sufficient if limited to those members of the public able to attend the courts.” ■

The Sydney “Sun” said in a front-page report yesterday that an “outback” jury was likely to be called to try to ensure a fair trial.

The newspaper quoted Northern Territory Crown law officials as saying jurors probably would be called mainly from outback stations. It said the officials were concerned that the publicity surrounded the case could prejudice the trial.